Frequently Asked Questions

There are a number of reasons why our clients have selected United Church Funds as their trusted investment partner:

• Values-aligned Investing with Competitive Returns: UCF has demonstrated a unique ability to provide both competitive investment returns and to do so within a platform that upholds socially responsible investment strategies. UCF employs both a justice-oriented screening process and comprehensive shareholder engagement strategies, allowing our investors to leverage their voices as faith-based investors to change the world for the better.
• Diversified Custom Portfolios: UCF offers 14 investment funds, allowing each of our clients to build a customized, diversified and professionally managed portfolio. UCF’s professional Investment Team, who cumulatively have many decades of experience in managing institutional assets, professionally manage, monitor and evaluate all funds. Meanwhile, UCF’s experienced Institutional Relationships team works directly with our clients, just as a local advisor would, to develop asset allocation strategies that are prudently aligned with goals, objectives and values.
• An Experienced Team: The team of professionals working for UCF all have deep experience in working with the financial leadership of churches and non-profit organizations. We provide additional value to our clients through our expertise and knowledge of best practices around non-profit investing strategies, managing distribution/withdrawal needs, shaping endowment governance policies, planned giving and more.
• A Trusted Partner: Just like our clients, UCF is a non-profit organization, striving to keep our administrative and investment expenses low. Unlike traditional brokers or advisors, our staff is not compensated by chasing commissions or hiking up advisory fees. Rather, we sit on the same side of the table as our clients in working toward common mission and ministry.

United Church Funds holds our staff and Board of Directors to the highest of fiduciary standards. With over $1.3 billion in assets under care for over 1,100 clients, UCF has a moral and legal imperative to operate with the utmost integrity in all our duties. Our obligations to our clients include annual financial audits and SOC1 (financial reporting internal controls) reports, regular reviews of our organizational conduct policies, transparent reporting on fees and performance, and consultations on our client’s fiduciary responsibilities. In addition, key members of our team have earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary financial designation.

United Church Funds welcomes all faith-based, non-profit organizations and churches. Currently, over 1,100  local churches, judicatories, denominational ministries, seminaries and healthcare institutions call United Church Funds their trusted investment partner. At this time, UCF’s offerings are not available to individuals, only to institutional investors.

Because UCF’s investment platform is designed exclusively for faith-based organizations, our team has developed a comprehensive suite of services that add value to our client relationships:

• Endowment Governance – UCF staff regularly work with clients to review, update and develop policy documents to help their churches or organizations meet their fiduciary obligations.
• Trust Services – UCF can serve as trustee for many of our client’s trust accounts at no additional fee. Contact us at (877)-806-4989 to learn more and to see if your organization qualifies.
• Planned Giving – UCF has developed educational materials and offers planned giving vehicles to help our clients build and implement successful planned giving strategies and campaigns.

For questions about the investment funds and financial services offered by United Church Funds, please contact:

(Midwest, Southwest or Western  Regions)

Matt Wagner

Director, Institutional Relationships

Email: [email protected]

Phone:  332-219-8760

(Northeast, Mid-Atlantic or Southeast Regions)

Stacey Pettice

Executive, Institutional Relationships

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 332-219-8759

Kelsey Rose

Associate, Institutional Relationships

Email: [email protected] 

Phone:    332-278-6040

Or call 877-806-4989.

Opening a new account at UCF is a simple process. For new clients, we require an Account Application and a notarized resolution that names the officers of the church authorized to act on behalf of the church’s investment accounts. Click here (insert link) to download the Account Application.

For existing investors, we require written authorization to create a new account. In both cases, the minimum investment to open a new account is $1,000.00.

There are several ways to deposit funds into an investment account at UCF, including wire transfers, electronic fund transfers directly to/from your local banking institution, or transfers of securities in-kind from another broker or advisor. All withdrawals from UCF are processed electronically. For security purposes, we do not send checks to our clients. Most transactions can be processed within two business days. We recommend contacting UCF Client Services at (877) 806-4989 or by emailing [email protected] to find out which process is best for your situation.

You can transfer assets between funds or accounts at any time and with any frequency. Please use forms found on our website (insert link to form) or contact UCF Client Services at [email protected] for more information.

Yes. We process those gifts routinely for our clients through BNY Mellon, UCF’s custodian bank. To ensure we have all the required information, we ask that you use the Stock Donation form found on our website (insert link) and contact Client Services at [email protected].

We offer online access to view account information to authorized officers of the client. If you are already a registered user, click here (insert link) to access your account information. Alternatively, you can also click on the “Client Access” menu on our website.

If you haven’t registered, please contact UCF Client Services at (877) 806-4989 or [email protected] to obtain  secure log-in information.

Please use this form on our website when a change of Authorized Officers occurs. We also encourage all of our clients to notify us when there is a change of  Treasurer and/or Bookkeeper, Investment or Finance Committees, or  Pastor.